Spain says Libya to free photographer shortly

MADRID May 18 (Reuters) - Libya is set to free Spanish
photographer Manu Brabo after a month and a half in captivity in
the North African country where he was covering its civil war,
Spain's Foreign Minister said on Wednesday.

Trinidad Jimenez said Libyan authorities had sentenced Brabo
to a year's imprisonment for entering the country illegally, but
as a first-time offender he would not have to serve time.

"The judicial process is now over and the Libyan authorities
have informed us officially that Manu Brabo will be freed in the
next few hours," Jimenez told reporters.

Last month two photojournalists, Oscar-nominated filmmaker
Tim Hetherington and Getty photographer Chris Hondros, were
killed by gunfire in the besieged Libyan town of Misrata.
(Reporting by Teresa Larraz; writing by Martin Roberts; editing
by Mark Heinrich)